FAQs

For RDs

Your membership in NAND is complimentary if you are a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics! You receive two memberships for the price of one.

If you haven’t joined the Academy, now is the time! Click HERE to register online. Be sure to mark Nebraska as your state affiliate.

A member can change their state affiliate at any time during the year. To do so, contact the Academy’s Membership Team to make the change by phone 312-899-0040 (ext. 5000) or email membership@eatright.org. This change can not be made online. 

Great news! Though we have regions, you can choose to take part in activities in ANY region. For more information about Regions, click HERE.

There is no additional cost to join a Region. If you are a NAND member, you can register and sign up for any events in any region.

Nebraska requires a license to provide Medical Nutrition Therapy. For more information, please contact the LMNT office at the Department of Health and Human Services.

An LMNT RDN needs to complete at least 30 hours of CEUs every two years that are designated as LMNT eligible hours to maintain their LMNT status. For more specifics, please contact the LMNT office at the Department of Health and Human Services.

For the Public

RDNs can translate current nutrition science into practical knowledge. Here are 10 reasons to visit a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist:

  1. You have diabetes, cardiovascular issues, high blood pressure, cancer, or other chronic disorder.
  2. You are thinking of having or have had weight loss surgery.
  3. You have digestive issues.
  4. You are pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or breastfeeding your baby.
  5. You are concerned about your young child’s weight or risk of becoming overweight.
  6. Your teenager has issues with food and is showing signs of an eating disorder.
  7. You need to lose or gain weight.
  8. You are caring for an aging parent or concerned about your nutritional needs as you age.
  9. You want to change your habits, eat smarter and help your family eat healthier.
  10. You want to improve your performance in sports.

Each RDN has at minimum a four year undergraduate bachelor of science followed by a post undergraduate internship, cooperative program or combined masters degree program including both an intern experience with concentrated nutrition studies. Following training, all dietitians are required to pass a national registration exam from the national Commission on Dietetic Registration. To remain registered, dietitians must complete and report continuing education of no less than 75 hours of CEUs every five years. The requirement of both the base of education combined with continuing education helps keep dietitians up to date on the latest sound science and progressing in their ability to help consumers improve their health.

Don’t be fooled by people calling themselves “certified nutritionists,” as anyone can make this claim with no training whatsoever. Buyer beware.

In Nebraska, there is an additional level of designation that registered dietitians may hold, called a Licensed Medical Nutrition Therapist or LMNT. These dietitians specifically work with people regarding a nutritional approach to their medical issues, such as diabetes, kidney failure, or high cholesterol. These LMNT dietitians are required to complete 30 hours of LMNT designated continuing education about therapeutic nutrition every two years to ensure an up-to-date, sound, research supported approach to their work with you.

What does an LMNT do? 

A Medical Nutrition Therapist is trained in and applies the nutrition care process of:

  1. Assessment of the patient’s nutritional status  
  2. Diagnosis including determining nutrient needs for enteral and parenteral nutrition
  3. Intervention or treatment
  4. Monitor and Evaluate the patient’s response to the treatment plan

In Nebraska, use this simple tool to find dietitians practicing in your area. You may also search for dietitians by your specific health issue, as dietitians do specialize in specific fields of practice. Please note: Though we work hard to have members keep this map up to date, we do find occasionally that someone has failed to update their profile.

Medical diagnosis and other factors will impact the answer to this question. We encourage you to contact your insurance carrier in preparation for an appointment with an RD or RD, LMNT. Provider coverage varies greatly and some providers may be in a preferred category, depending on coverage.

Sometimes your RD may be able to guide you to what specific questions you need to ask to increase potential for coverage or they may work with your provider to help.

Even if insurance does not cover your visit with an RD, the cost-benefit to your long-term health may far outway the small out of pocket cost of seeing a dietitian.

First of all, reading glasses if you need them. 🙂 Your visit will be the most beneficial to you if your RDN understands the entire picture of your health. Bring medication lists (or bottles) including any non-prescription medications and supplements you use and how often you take them. If you use any types of trackers online, apps or logs, this can be helpful. If you have the chance, keep track of everything you eat and drink and at what times for a few days before the appointment to give them a realistic view of your real world eating style. If you aren’t good at writing items down, even taking pictures of food and drink items with a point of reference (including a flat dollar bill in each picture) helps them have a better concept of portion size.

Our role as dietitians is to meet you where you are and help you fine-tune the little adjustments in what you do to have the biggest impact on your health. Be sure to share with them early in your visit your most favorite and hated foods and any important social events that happen regularly and need to be planned for to help create better long-term success.

We work with people who work late shifts, have unusual eating preferences, very little phases us. We just want to help you improve your health and make plans that will help you both be happy and feel your best while meeting your body’s nutritional needs. You’ll likely be surprised by what a few little adjustments can do to help your health.

For Students

Learn more about careers in Dietetics HERE.

Each RDN has at minimum a four year undergraduate bachelor of science followed by a post undergraduate internship, cooperative program or combined masters degree program including both an intern experience with concentrated nutrition studies. Following training, all dietitians are required to pass a national registration exam from the national Commission on Dietetic Registration. To remain registered, dietitians must complete and report continuing education of no less than 75 hours of CEUs every five years. The requirement of both the base of education combined with continuing education helps keep dietitians up to date on the latest sound science and progressing in their ability to help consumers improve their health.

Don’t be fooled by people calling themselves “certified nutritionists,” as anyone can make this claim with no training whatsoever. Buyer beware.

For more information about Dietetic Internship programs and where to apply, click HERE. 

A LMNT license is obtained upon completion of an accredited dietetic internship program and the registration exam. To apply, the Application for Licensure must be completed and submitted to:

Licensure Unit
Medical Nutrition Therapy
P.O. Box 94986
Lincoln, NE 68506-4986

The following can be found at the Nebraska Health and Human Services System web page, Click HERE for:

  • LMNT requirements
  • LMNT application
  • Approval forms and information for LMNT hours

Maintaining the license requires a minimum of 30 approved (LMNT) continuing hours of education (CEU’s) every 2 years. These 30 hours can be applied towards the 75 continuing hours of education required every 5 years for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN).

Attending dietetic conferences are a great way to network with other dietitians and earn approved LMNT CEU’s. Conferences include the NAND annual conference and the Food and Nutrition Conference Expo.

Your student membership in NAND is complimentary if you are a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics! You receive two memberships for the price of one. If you haven’t joined the Academy, now is the time! Click HERE to register online. Be sure to mark Nebraska as your state affiliate.

The Nebraska Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (NAND) is an affiliate of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). 

Another way to network with other Dietetic professionals is to join a Dietetic Practice Group or Member Interest Group.

Dietetic Practice Groups are professional-interest groups, made up of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics members, who wish to connect with other members within their areas of interest and/or practice. Specialized practice groups enable members to improve their job performance, gain insight into specialized areas of food and nutrition and network with colleagues.

Member Interest Groups are groups of Academy members who have a common interest. Unlike dietetic practice groups or affiliates, member interest groups focus on areas other than the practice of dietetics or geographic location. As divisions of the national organization, MIGs reflect the many characteristics of the Academy’s membership and the public it serves.

  • Network with Registered Dietitians, Dietetic Interns and students across the U.S. and in your region.
  • Gain access to current scientific research
  • Understand the Academy’s position on controversial topics
  • Access Listserv to view current job openings